


Denouement

by conqueringwill



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Graduation, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, the dreaded G word, yes that’s right
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 17:21:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15490839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/conqueringwill/pseuds/conqueringwill
Summary: [n] The final part of a play, movie, or narrative, in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved.The Repayment Festival has come once again at Yumenosaki, and for two students, their strands of fate will be drawn together in a way neither could have expected.





	Denouement

**Author's Note:**

> how y’all doin’ today
> 
> good, i hope
> 
> please enjoy
> 
> (once again, ao3 has eaten my tabs, if you need me to edit them back in, please let me know)

Today was the day that all of Yumenosaki’s students had been anticipating all year… the Repayment Festival. The day where all the underclassmen of the idol course performed in honor of their graduating seniors. It’s late into the evening on the night of the festival, and Ra*bits and Akatsuki have already performed. Now, it is time for Ryuseitai to take the stage.

“Midori-kun, Tetora-kun!” Shinobu ran into the dressing room, the accoutrements of his outfit flying about in his haste. “We’re on in just a few minutes! Are you two ready, de gozaru?”

“I… I think so, Shinobu-kun. Ah… we’ve practiced so much to make it this far, so… this can’t go wrong. If it did…” Midori’s voice trailed off towards the end of his sentence, then he stopped altogether.  
But he soon continued, with renewed confidence. “No, I can’t think about those things. If I’m with you two, everything will be fine. Let’s go, Tetora-kun.”

For a moment, it seemed as though Tetora hadn’t even heard him. “Um… Can I ask you two something?” His voice lacked its usual intensity, instead being tinged with apprehension. “There’s, um… something I’ve been worried about, hehe…” A nervous chuckle punctuated his words as they trailed off.

“What’s wrong, Tetora-kun? This ninja will come to your aid, de gozaru.”  
“I’ll help you too, you know… please, tell us whatever you need to.”  
Shinobu and Midori approached Tetora, sitting next to him on the dressing room couch.  
  
“Well, I… I, um, I’ve been… well, I’ve just been worried that, that I...”  
He stopped, coughing. There was a pause, and Tetora buried his face in his hands. _“That I’m not good enough to be Ryusei Red…”_ He mumbled something into his hands, too quietly to be heard properly by his unitmates.

“Can you… repeat that, please?” Midori moved closer to Tetora, attempting to steady him as he gently shook, hands trembling.  
There was a tense silence as Tetora slowly brought his head back up, revealing palms and cheeks streaked with tears. After what felt like an eternity, he repeated himself. “I don’t… I don’t think I’m good enough to be Ryusei Red…” Upon finishing his sentence, Tetora’s head fell back into his hands, and the tremors running through his body got even stronger.

At first, Midori and Shinobu didn’t know what to do. There were only two or three minutes left until they had to be on stage, and the performance’s leader was having a nervous breakdown. Midori, who had already moved closer to him, silently took him into a hug, while gesturing for Shinobu to start talking. _I think it would be better if you started,_ the gesture seemed to say.

“Tetora-kun! This ninja, um, has some things he wants to tell you!” Shinobu started, trying to think on his feet.  
“What… what is it, Shinobu-kun?”  
“I know you’re going to be an amazing Ryusei Red, Tetora-kun. I just know it, de gozaru.”  
“How do you know? How could I ever live up to Taichou…?”  
“Because… because our fans love you! Do you remember the last live we had? When we did the poster signing, this ninja counted all the fans that came up to each of us, de gozaru! And… you had the most people out of all of us! Even more than Taichou-dono!”  
“I… I did? Really?” Tetora’s voice began to grow just a little more hopeful. Hearing his tone change, Midori decided that it was time for him to chime in.  
“And all this year, you’ve been such a big help to me.” Midori said, while pulling Tetora into an even tighter hug. “You know how I was at the start of this year. I felt so alone, and so afraid… but then I met you. You’ve made me feel like I’m not alone. Like I mean something in the world. And that’s the kind of person that Ryusei Red should be. Someone who can lead through any kind of adversity with a smile. Someone like… like you, Tetora-kun.”

“Uuuuu… Shinobu-kun, Midori-kun… do you really think so?” Another change in tone. Either he would break down all over again, or he would become his normal self.  
“Absolutely!”  
“I really do.” Shinobu and Midori spoke at the same time, voices full of hope. This was the moment of truth. Tetora sniffled once…

Twice…

And returned Midori’s hug, pulling in Shinobu as he did.  
“Thank you… thank you so much. I don’t know what I would do without you two.” He stood up, bringing his unitmates up with him. “I’m ready, Shinobu-kun, Midori-kun. Let’s go!”

 

[Some time later…]

 

The audience was loving Ryuseitai’s performance, and had been applauding all the way to the end of their final song. When the final measure had been played and the final words had been sung, Tetora took center stage and began to deliver his closing remarks… and to show the audience something that he had been preparing for for longer than any of their choreographies.  
“Everyone! Thanks for coming out today! We hope you’ve enjoyed our performance!” He paused, allowing the audience to let out a cheer. “And now, I have a special announcement for you all. As you know, the leader of Ryuseitai, Morisawa Chiaki, will be graduating this year. This means that there must be a new leader. A new Ryusei Red. And…”  
Tetora unzipped his Ryusei Black jacket and threw it into the crowd. Underneath was a jacket almost identical, save for its color — bright, powerful red.  
“It’s me! I, Nagumo Tetora, will become the new leader of Ryuseitai! I look forward to showing you what we can do!” As he concluded his speech, the crowd’s cheers erupted forth once again. One man in particular seemed especially moved by his words, excusing himself into the hallway as Ryuseitai left the stage. He received some strange looks; after all, Knights was performing next. Most people agreed that while everyone else was still good, their performances were really what gave you your money’s worth.  
But Kuro Kiryu had no interest in them. (Nor had he paid for attendance.) No, at that particular moment, there was another unit he was focused on. Well, more like another _person_. And he wanted to see him as soon as he possibly could.

 

[Meanwhile, backstage…]

 

“We did it!”  
“That was amazing, de gozaru!”  
“Good work, you two.”  
Together, the three fell back onto the dressing room couch, the tension having been melted away and replaced with exhaustion. No sooner than they had settled in, though, did a knock issue forth from the door. The staccato beat seemed as loud as a taiko drum. _Don don dokodokodon. Don don dokodokodon._  
“I-I’ll get that!” Shinobu sprang to his feet, making his way to the door.  
“Hello? Who’s there?” He said, as he opened the door.  
“Ah, Sengoku. It’s a pleasure to see you. I was very impressed by your performance.”  
“Oh! Kiryu-senpai! Thank you, de gozaru!”  
“Is Tetsu available? There’s something I’d like to talk to him about… privately, if that’s possible.”  
“A-ah… of course, de gozaru! Midori-kun, let’s go watch the Knights’ performance… and give Kiryu-senpai and Tetora-kun their privacy.”  
“Um… alright, we’ll see you later, then, Tetora-kun.”

“Wh-- huh? Taishou? What are you doing here?” Tetora asked, as his unitmates left for the performance venue.  
“I was impressed by your performance today.” Kuro said, entering the room and taking a seat on the couch next to Tetora. “And your speech at the end… it was truly moving, Tetsu.”  
“Thank you… Taishou.” As Kuro recollected the events from mere minutes prior, the gears in Tetora’s mind were set back into action, this time about something he had been trying his hardest to repress.  
_After this year ends, Taishou will be gone…_  
Taishou… what will I do without you…?  
Suddenly, he grabbed hold of Kuro, burying his head into his shoulder. “Tai… shou…”  
It had been quite some time since Tetora had done something like this - not since the beginning of the year. Still, Kuro knew what to do, gently rubbing circles into his back. “Tetsu. Please, tell me what’s bothering you.”  
“I… I’m going to miss you, Taishou. I don’t want to lose you. Because…” A pause, as Tetora took a moment to reflect on his first year at Yumenosaki, and steeled his nerve to finish the sentence. “Because, after everything you’ve done for me this year… and all the time I’ve spent with you, I realized that…”

There was another pause. It was longer, laden with suffocating tension. “That I love you, Taishou. With all of my being.” Having finally finished, he returned to Kuro’s shoulder, holding him even more tightly. The room’s tension remained, undiffused. Until…  
“How long have you felt this way, Tetsu…?”  
“Um… maybe a few months…? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I’m so embarrassed, I should have said something--”  
Kuro shushed him quietly, putting a finger up to his mouth. “Tetsu… why do you think I’ve done so much for you?” Tetora tried to protest, but no sooner than he began to speak up again, Kuro pulled his finger away and replaced it with his own mouth, quieting him with a kiss. “I love you too, Tetsu,” he whispered, as he pulled back from the kiss, leaning back into Tetora.

Tetora was just about ready to explode, both from happiness and embarrassment. He’d finally confessed to Kuro, and his feelings were returned, but in the least manly way possible. He was determined to ask him out on a date in at least a semi-respectable way. “So, ahh… would you like to come back to my house after the show ends?” He asked, hopefully.  
“Of course I would.” Upon hearing this, Tetora let out a small happy noise, midway between a squeak and a giggle. _Nailed it._  Kuro couldn't help but laugh at that, chuckling along with him.  
As they got up to return to the show, Tetora took Kuro’s hand, squeezing it gently. They hadn’t even gotten halfway out of the room, though, before Tetora spoke again.  
“I don’t think I’ll be able to focus on the show if I’m going to be right next to you… do you want to, uh, just go to my house now?”  
“I was about to ask the same thing. I’d love to, but don’t leave your friends hanging. Let them know we’re leaving now.”  
Tetora pulled out his phone and began composing a message to send to his unit’s group chat.

_To RYUSEITAI_

_> I left early to spend some time with Taishou. Enjoy the rest of the show!_

Something didn’t feel quite right about that message, though. As he backspaced through it, he found the problem, corrected it, and sent his message.

_> I left early to spend some time with Kuro. Enjoy the rest of the show!_

Pocketing his phone, he took Kuro’s hand again, leading him out of the building and towards the train station he took to get home from school. “Let’s go… Kuro.”  
With another chuckle, Kuro followed him. “Lead the way, Tetora.”

**Author's Note:**

> god they are so gay
> 
> expect a part 2 with r18 content... eventually
> 
> thanks for reading!
> 
> twitter - @squishy30000


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